Free Therapy

I'm not sure about you but I find colouring to be a very therapeutic and relaxing thing to do.

I can spend a long time just filling in the lines, it brings me back to my childhood. For some reason it’s become important to me to persuade friends that coloring-in is a beautiful, relaxing, wonderful pastime for grown-ups.

 I like colouring in using the light first and then the dark. How good a Copic, Stampin' Up! Blendabilities or even a crayon feels in your hand. How tricky it really is to stay within the lines (well, for me it is anyway). In fact, maybe coloring-in is even more fun for us now than when we were children.

Today's cards uses the several different stamp sets.I simply coloured in the using my Copic markers. I coloured them on glossy white paper and cut them out. After I cut them out I used dimensionals on a few of them. I also added either gems or stickles.

  

I am taking the Copic Whimsical Hair and Faces class on September 20th yeah!  

Thank you for stopping by and hope you like the projects. Hugs, Karen

Embossing Folder Heaven - Weekly Deals

Happy Tuesday my crafty Peeps! 

Wow, if you like embossing folders then you will like this Weeks Deals!!  

Simply visit my ONLINE STORE and see all the Clearance items as well as the Weekly Deals and order all the great products on sale!  It will be delivered straight to your door!

If it’s your first time Online shopping with me then you will need to create your profile and tick “allow Demonstrator to contact me”, so that I can send you a thank you card. 

If you do not wish to shop online, you are more than welcome to contact me and I will place your order for you, but please remember this sale is “WHILE SUPPLIES LAST” and they go very quickly!  So hop to it!

Hugs, Karen

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Happy Birthday!

Good evening my crafty peeps!

Wow, I slept over 16 hours last night so not to much card making was going on, but I did make a Birthday card for my Step-mum Leah.  I bought this stamp several years ago with her in mind and am now only using.  It is not a Stampin Up product but the rest of the card was done with Stampin Up!

Details: (recipe)

• The base is 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Crushed Curry, folded in half.
• The 4" x 5 1/4" layer of paper was Island Indigo, with a layer of  3 3/4" x 5" piece of Watercolour Wonder DSP
• 4" x 2 1/2" Whisper White layered on a 4 1/4" x 2 3/4 piece of Island Indigo card stock.
• The image was stamped with Memento black ink on the Whisper White and coloured with Copics and Stampin' Up! Belandabilites. It was placed on the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
• Happy Birthday was stamped with Crushed Curry on Whisper White and cut out with the Itty Bitty Banners Die and added to the front.
• Added 3 Rhinestones to the side and wound some Crushed Curry Bakers Twine around the whole thing before attaching to the card base.
• Inside is a 4x5 piece of Whisper White and using the  stamp set, with Crumb Cake and Island Indigo ink. 

Hope you like it!

Hugs, Karen

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Occasions and Sale-a-bration catalogs for Free!

Hello!! It's been a long time since I've posted pics, but I'm super excited by this new occasions catalog and Salebration brochure- want one? Contact me- Id love to send you one for free!!

One of my favorites is the Butterfly basics it is a new stamp set in the occasions catalog. It is complimented with beautiful butterfly dies. If you buy it as a bundle you get 15% off!!

Hugs, Karen

Colour Combos!

Have you ever wanted to begin a project, but became bewildered due to the colour choices? 

It happens to me ALL the time!

Its frustrating- because there are SO many gorgeous Stampin' Up! colours to choose from! (Oh! its a hard life!! LOL)

Besides going on Pinterest and seeing all the great colour combinations out there, Stampin' Up! has a great tool to help you called Colour Coach

A combo I saw on Ink It Up with Jessica that I liked was this nice soft winter color combo

What is your favorite colour combo?

Leave me a comment or post a picture on my Facebook page "Stamp with Karen"

Hugs, Karen

Stampin' Up! Year-end Closeouts

Hello friends,
I hope you all had an wonderful Christmas with family and friends!! We had a great time, with family and saw friends on Boxing Day. Stay tuned for some photos later today or sometime this week. 

I wanted to pop in on this beautiful Sunday morning, while you are enjoying the Boxing Day sales don't forget that Stampin Up has lots of good deals happening in the UPDATED Year-End Closeouts over my On-Line Store. 

Also don't forget to check out the Weekly Deals !!

Hugs, Karen

Stampin Up Saleabration party

Hi Everyone!

Would any of you peeps want to host a party, can be in home or at my home or even just online,  I need to have at least 2 booking the weeks of January 6^th – 31^st .

There are great Sale-A-Bration benefits for hosts!   Also for every $60 spent pick a free item out of the  Sale-a-Bration catalog (Available January 6th, 2015)

Another great opportunity is to JOIN ME!!! Check this out....during Sale-a-Bration there are awesome deals but if you join me you will not only get to get the benefits of becoming a demonstrator but you can get all your items as part of your starter kit. 

Message me for more details or head over to my website and join me today!!!!!!!

Hugs Karen

Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza

Get Ready for a Week Full of Amazing Offers! 

Enjoy these flash deals on select items and bundles at a 20–50 percent discount! But quantities are limited, and this great opportunity only lasts November 24 through December 2, so get yours before they're gone!

Plus, there will be limited-time door busters on November 24 and December 1 on special products-some that have never before been paired together-that are only available for 24 hours and while supplies last! These specific deals are extremely limited, so act fast!

http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/Promotions/NA/2014/11_November/OnlineX/Online_Extravaganza_Products_CA.pdf

All new demonstrator get this great deal, a 25 percent discount on the Starter Kit! 
For more details on this opportunity message me at Stamp with Karen

Hugs, Karen

It's a BOY!

Congratulations Amanda, beautiful mommy to be of a precious BABY BOY!!!! We are all so excited for you and can't wait to meet him.

Here is a card that I made for the Baby Shower using a combination of retired Stampin' Up! Special Delivery set and Paper Smooches Pip Squeaks and I colored the image using Letraset Promarkers .The paper that I used for this card is Stampin' Up! Baked Brown Sugar, Whisper White and Designer Series Fresh Prints. I added cute little jewels on the sentiment and corners for some blingyness

My card is made with the Stephanie Barnard's Sizzix Step-Ups card die, the card folds to a standard A2 size.

Unfortunately I was ill and unable to attend but was sent some of the photos. Now, check out the cake.  WOW was that awesome!!! I couldn't wait to share the photos. 
Nice job Rayleen!

Thank you for stopping by Handmade Creations by Karen.  Please feel free to leave comment, suggestions or post a question.  I love reading your comments and feel so blessed to have so many wonderful stamping friends!!!

Been Awhile

Sorry I am falling behind as usual. Perfect description of me lately is "Always bored, Sometimes crafty and Often odd", only thing missing is dazed and confused.  Thus I have not been doing as much as I want to with my cards or any craft, not sure if it is the meds or just me.  I have been slow at making cards except for the ones I made for US Thanksgiving and a few Christmas cards. 

One thing I am very happy I did a month ago was signing up for LTL Weight Loss Management, my Life Coach is my cousin Lisa in Las Vegas so been great getting to know her even better.  I was doing great up until this last week with Halloween and just feeling blue (Dad's birthday in a few weeks).  I have lost just over 10 lbs and about 12 inches overall in the first 4 weeks.  Doctors still want me to lose about 40 more pounds, baby steps is how I have to look at it.  Between the MS fatigue and Fibromyalgia it is a struggle to find the energy to exercise but I know in time it will get easier.  I just wish I had started this earlier as the cold weather has hit Calgary this coming week.

I am dreading weigh in tomorrow but it will be good to see, and hopefully give me the motivation to be extra good and eat LOTS of veggies and do some stretching or yoga.

Here are a few of the cards I made last weekend with my friend Nelly.

Christmas

Thanksgiving 

Birthday

Thank you for stopping by....

Hugs, Karen

Happy 80th Birthday Papa

My Step-dad "Papa" will be turning 80 on September 27th and I really wanted to make one of those box cards with Balloons and maybe a old looking golfer in the middle.  I have watched a few U-Tube videos on how to make it and gotten the dimensions (listed below), now I just have to get started. 

Card in a Box scoring, I must remember this!

• Finished Size when flat: 4-1/2 x 6 ".  Individual panels are 2-1/4 " wide.
• Cut Base: 9.5 x 6 "
• Score base: 2-1/4, 4-1/2, 6-3/4 & 9 " on long side. Score at 3-1/4 " on short side.
• Inserts: Cut at 3-1/4 " x 3/4 ". Score at 1/2 " from either end

Or per the awesome video by Deb Valder fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator (check out her video):

Box:

• Cut piece of cardstock at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" (it's a half sheet of cardstock)
• Score this piece with the 5 1/2" side on top at 2 3/4"
• Turn and with the 8 1/2" piece on top you are going to score to the MIDDLE LINE (at the 2 3/4" mark) and cut the rest of the way down
• Score at 2" then Cut
• Score at 4" then Cut
• Score at 6" then Cut
• Score at 8" then Cut

That's it , now just glue together!

Insert:

• Cut a piece at 2 3/4" x 8"
• Score at 1/2", 2 1/2", 3", 5" 5 1/2" 7 1/2"
• Fold into a Z with a flare (the ends of the Z are going to be going the opposite way) and POP it into your box.

Layered Pieces:

• Back pieces – Cardstock 1 7/8" x 5 3/8" and the DSP is 1 3/4" x 5 1/4"
• Small Panels – Cardstock 1 7/8" x 2 5/8" and the DSP is 1 3/4" x 2 1/2"
• cut 6 for outside panels and 4 for inside

Hugs, Karen

Goodbye Summer Hello Fall

Wow it has been a very long time since I posted, did not realize it was back in July.  Not much is new in my world same old doctors, specialist and therapist appointments with card making in between.

I have made a few cards in the last few weeks:

Hoping to make a box card for my Papa's 80th birthday this weekend as I need to give to mum on the 20th to put in her luggage.  Stay tuned for pictures and dimensions.

Hugs, Karen

Tea and Crafting

I am becoming a hoarder once again! I want to pretty much have everything in the catalog and trust me I have purchased a lot since I became a demonstrator and love being able to save 20% on my purchases. NOW with the Holiday Catalog coming out in August I do not know what I will do as there is so much in there that I like too. I almost need one level of my house to be my craftroom, then actually feel well enough to make some cards or other projects. I was going to start knitting I think last spring and never did, I will have to have Lorna over for a lesson soon. Need something else to distract me other than Pinterest and Facebook. What do you do with your free time?

I notice that when I am sad or depressed I tend to either shop or decorate.  Since my husband does not like change decorating is usually out of the picture so I resort to buying things.  In this case crafting supplies, I become like a kid in the candy store and want everything and in every colour available.  I was hoping I was over being sad about not working and not being able to do everything like before, but I am seeing the pattern begin again.

On the bright side I have lots of lovely crafting supplies and time to make things whether for myself or to send to others.  I found out last week that a couple of friends where not well or been in hospital so I made a couple cards.

I want to personalize the next card with picture of something I know they like.  Now I just need the energy to actually make the card I know what it will look like in my head but I just have to get it from there onto the paper.

With rehab starting again I hope that the exercise does indeed give me more energy and maybe improve my mood.  I have the smiling face and project to the world that everything is hunky dorey but in reality I am crying on the inside for what was.  Thinking that I should probably write in a journal or even better do an artist journal with mixed media and get it all out that way!  I must try this as I have seen some beautiful ones done by some of my crafty friends.

Enough rambling from little ol me and lets get back to making things.  My new motto is "Keep Calm with Tea and Crafting"

Hugs, Karen